Excitement At The French Open

The French Open, one of the four major tennis tournaments (did you know that the others are the Australian Open, the US Open, and Wimbledon?), concluded last week in Paris, France. Tennis is often an individual sport but can be a team sport as well when doubles matches are played (which involves two players per team).

Great tennis players are constantly alert and run all around the court, hitting balls with power and skill. Equally important? Endurance. Each match lasts an average of two hours, and sometimes, just sometimes, matches can even last four hours or longer!

This year, the French Open saw the return of champion Rafael Nadal, the Spanish player who scored his eleventh title. Who did he play against? Austrian Dominic Thiem, who lost to Nadal previously in the semifinals in 2016 and 2017. This year, Thiem stepped it up to reach the finals but ultimately lost yet again. We are rooting for him to try again next year but congratulate Nadal on another championship!

In the women’s finals, Romanian Simona Halep won her first major championship. She advanced to three major finals this past year, but she lost each time. What might have helped her win this time? Stamina, against opponent Sloane Stephens of the United States. And if you are wondering about Venus or Serena (the Williams sisters) … they competed in doubles for the first time since 2016 but were eliminated before reaching the quarterfinals.

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